Katt Saar

Sorry for not living up to my promise of posting this recipe soon. I'm not having any excuse to explain my laziness in posting recipes ;)

Also my Personal Blog is starving without any posts since a very long time. I've got to get over my detachment from it and soon be posting articles there too. :)

Anyways, coming to today's post (if you've seen my previous posts) is a part of the mini meal post.

Its a simple curry made of dal. Generally in my native language its called Katt Saar or Kattu Saaru. If I'm not mistaken some even call it Thove. The most important part of this kattu saaru is the tempering (seasoning or tadka). The tempering should contain all the ingredients, only then the curry will have a good, delicious and inviting taste.

The usual toor daal that we cook in Indian homes is nothing but pigeon pea . The pigeon peas are dried, their outer coating is removed and they're split. Thats how Toor daal is made.


The preparation goes as follows.

Ingredients (For 5-6 servings)

1 and 1/2 cups of split Pigeon Pea / Toor Daal
2 medium sized red tomatoes
3 thin sized green chillies
Ginger piece of 1 cm thickness and diameter
Coriander leaves (for garnishing)
8 cups of water
Salt to taste (2-3 full tsp)

Seasoning (Tempering)

3 dry red chillies
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
7-8 chopped curry leaves

Method

Boil the toor dal. You can do this in a pressure cooker or in a vessel too.

Chop the tomatoes and slit the green chillies.

Add 2 cups of water to the tomatoes and chillies and bring it to a boil.

Add a piece of chopped ginger to the boiling mixture.

Next you need to add the boiled lentils (dal). Stir gently and remove the lumps if formed.

Bring it to a boil.

Once the mixture comes to a boil add the remaining amount of water. Let it come to a boil and then add salt.


Add the tempering (seasoning) to the saaru.


For the seasoning:


For 2 tbsp of hot ghee/vegetable oil add a teaspoon of mustard seeds. Let the mustard seeds finish popping. Then add a teaspoon of cumin seeds, dried red chilly and curry leaves. Roast it for 15 seconds and add it to the saaru.


Garnish the saaru with coriander leaves. Serve it hot with rice or chapathi.


This is one of my favorites in the list of comfort food.


Happy cooking and take care :)

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Tomato saaru

The tomato saaru is probably the all time favorite traditional food of everyone I presume :) It is spicy, light, not very complicated to prepare. Served along with white rice and another palya (Fry) is the tastiest combination :)

Tomato saaru are made in different varieties of ways. The one which is made at my home involves the use of a ground powder made of dry red chillies, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, methi seeds (Menthe in Kannada, Fenugreek in English) and asafoetida (Hingu in Kannada). We DO NOT put any seasoning / tempering for this saaru.

The rcipe goes as follows.

Ingredients (For 6 - 7 servings)

1 large Red tomatoes (Chopped)
1/2 to 1/3 cup of thoor dal (Thogari bele)
Lemon sized ball of tamarind
½ tsp of turmeric powder
Lemon sized ball of jaggery
7-8 tsp of saaru podwer
½ cup of coriander leaves (Chopped)
2 - 3 cups of water
Salt to taste

To make saaru powder (makes 8-9 tea spoons)

8 dry red chillies
1 handful of coriander seeds
2 tsp of cumin seeds
1 tsp of fenugreek seeds (Methi seeds, Menthe seeds)
3 pinches of asafoetida

Method to make saaru powder

Put about 1 tsp of cooking oil in a vessel and let it heat. Then add all the ingredients mentioned for making saaru pwder in the vessel and roast it for 5 - 10 minutes on a medium flame. Take care that it doesn't burn.

After that remove from flame and let it cool. After it is cooled mix all the ingredients in a mixie and make it into a fine podwer. Remember that the mixie should be very very dry. No moisture content should be there.

The saaru podwer is ready.

Method to make saaru

Put about 1 cup of water to the toor dal and boil it in a pressure cooker (Two whistles are enough)

Soak the tamarind in about half cup of water and keep aside for about an hour.

In a vessel squeeze the tamarind pulp and add the remaining water. Make sure you remove all the pulp and don't waste any. You can again add water and remove the pulp thoroughly.

Then put the chopped tomatoes.

Add the turmeric and salt.

Add the jaggery (Amount is shown in the picture below)

Now put this vessel on a medium flame and boil the mixture.

After it boils add the boiled toor dal (thogari bele) and add 2 cups of water and let it boil. You can add more water if required.

After it coms to a boil add 7-8 tsp of saaru powder and stir well.

Let it come to a boil and then add coriander leaves for garnishing :)

Serve hot with white rice and any palya (Fry)

You should try this recipe for lunch today !!

Do take care till I write :) 

Happy cooking :) :)

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